Chapter 47: Long Live the King

The power of “Corpse Explosion” was extraordinary. Even Black Knight Two was caught off guard. A shard of bone pierced his left arm, leaving a thumb-sized bloody hole that wouldn’t stop bleeding. His body, reinforced by concentrated Battle Qi, couldn’t withstand it. His face twisted in agony. If not for the black mask, the soldiers would have seen his face pale stark white with pain.

They had no idea why the corpses had suddenly exploded, and the formation descended into chaos.

Meanwhile, Sun Fei’s charging steps didn’t hesitate even for a moment.

Having done this, he instantly switched from “Necromancer Mode” back to “Barbarian Mode”.

Fierce, wild physical strength returned to his body. Sun Fei roared furiously. He shoved off the ground hard with both feet. Boom! Fragments of rock flew from the sturdy stone bridge surface beneath him. The Barbarian skill “Leap” activated explosively at that instant.

Whoosh!

Like a towering mountain suddenly rising from the earth, Sun Fei’s figure shot upwards, casting a shadow under the blazing sun. He leaped at least five meters into the air. He sailed over the three-meter-tall Tower Shields and the thicket of steel hedgehog-like Dragon Lances as effortlessly as a feather, diving straight into the crowd of black-armored soldiers behind the shield wall.

“Seeking death!” Black Knight Two saw his opponent vault over the shield wall towards him, weaponless. He sensed an opportunity. Ignoring his wounded arm, he wildly channeled his Battle Qi. He too leaped into the air! His Two-Handed Broadsword flashed with points of cold light as he surged towards Sun Fei.

He intended to use his exquisite swordsmanship to cut down this brute with only raw muscles.

Black Knight Two was convinced that in the aerial skirmish, his mastery of Battle Qi would grant him far greater agility than his opponent who relied solely on brute force. Especially considering his foe wore heavy steel plate armor and carried no weapon… As he sprang upwards, he felt confident he had at least a hundred sword techniques able to pierce that thick armor and stab right through the beast-man’s heart.

But—

“Get back!” Sun Fei roared mid-air, his foot lashing out to kick the broad flat of the incoming sword.

Black Knight Two only saw a blur. He couldn’t track the movement. Then his entire body went numb and tingled as if struck by lightning! The sword was ripped from his grasp by the kick, soaring high into the air like a scrap of straw in a gale.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed directly from the web of Black Knight Two’s thumb and forefinger – the kick’s shockwave had violently torn the flesh open.

But the nightmare wasn’t over yet.

Before he could hit the ground, Sun Fei kicked again, still airborne.

This kick slammed directly into Black Knight Two’s chest. Crack-crunch! Sickening sounds of bone breaking echoed. His chest caved in, forming a horrifying footprint-shaped depression. Instantaneously, his body hurtled back down faster than he had risen! He crashed heavily onto the black-armored soldiers below. Amidst screams, soldiers toppled like dominoes…

This kick turned Black Knight Two’s internal organs into mush. Life instantly extinguished. He landed flat on his back without even a grunt – stone dead.

Eyes wide open, filled with utter disbelief. He couldn’t fathom why a well-positioned One-Star Warrior like himself would perish so ignominiously, kicked to death like a helpless chick by a raw brute who didn’t even master Battle Qi.

Of course, if Black Knight Two had known beforehand that the man he proudly leapt to intercept was the very ‘beast’ who effortlessly dispatched two fellow One-Star Warrior Black Knights during the wall battle yesterday, his first reaction would undoubtedly have been frantic retreat into the crowd, not greedy overconfidence charging forward.

Alas, life rarely offers second chances.

Even at Level 5 Barbarian, Sun Fei could end One-Star Warriors instantly. Now at Level 12? Trash like Black Knight Two could be swept aside with mere gestures.

Watching their commander kicked to death sent the black-armored soldiers into disarray. Sun Fei landed firmly in a gap within the panicking crowd. He made a slight pulling motion in the empty air before him. White light flickered. The Barbarian’s fearsome, gargantuan Great Axe materialized once again in his grasp.

Sching-clang-clang-clang!

Sun Fei spun violently 360 degrees, utterly disregarding tactics. A storm of axe blades erupted! Enemies and their weapons crowding around were shredded into fragments by the whirring axe. Amidst the spray of blood, Sun Fei swiftly turned and reached the base of the Tower Shields. Channeling immense strength, he hacked several times – Schraak-kraak-kraak! Silver flashes of cold light severed the support poles and Dragon Lances like they were paper. The triple-layered Tower Shield was cleaved in two by the Great Axe. The split halves spun away, crashing into the river below and sending up enormous plumes of water.

In seconds, what many viewed as a solid, unbreakable “Tower Shield and Dragon Spear Formation” had been sliced open once more by Sun Fei like it was a piece of soft bread. A huge fissure was torn through their defenses.

It was like a sobbing young widow, having barely struggled back into her tattered clothes after escaping a brute, finding herself rendered stark naked all over again under Sun Fei’s unstoppable assault.

“Charge! Clean out this garbage!” Sun Fei yelled. He continuously switched power modes, utilizing the Necromancer and Barbarian’s strengths. Sweeping aside the hastily re-formed shield formation took mere seconds. The whole lightning-fast process left countless onlookers dumbstruck. He spun and waved his arm, signaling the huge armored warriors – who had just gulped their Stamina Potion-diluted water and regained their vigor standing only three or four meters away – to charge immediately.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!

Twenty-plus giants clad in sixty or seventy pounds of metal armor charging together felt like a heavy cavalry charge! A deafening quake ran through the stone bridge beneath their pounding boots, as though the entire structure might shudder and collapse under the shockwaves.

Blood streamed down twenty suits of heavy armor. They looked like bloodthirsty demons escaped from Hell.

KRA-KOOM!

The clash happened instantly. Waves of gore erupted once more! Severed limbs and splintered weapons flew through the air.

The armored titans crashed into the disordered black formation. Their ludicrously heavy weapons spun and swept through the air. Soldiers were flung high like kites caught in a tempest – Whhooooosh! – before splashing down (splash-splash-splash!) into the river like hapless dumplings, swept downstream by the currents…

Seeing this, Sun Fei wasted no more time. He spun back around, his Great Axe transforming into an extension of Death’s Scythe. Wherever it swept past, a vacuum remained. Like a broom clearing snow, his axe passed through the ranks of black-armored soldiers crowded on the pale stone bridge, leaving a perfectly clean, empty wake behind him.

This time, Sun Fei deliberately accelerated his speed.

To increase momentum, he no longer spared attention guarding the warriors behind him like before. Relying purely on his Level 12 Barbarian’s savage strength, he ripped apart the black-armored formations. He just focused on slaughtering every enemy in his immediate path the instant he saw them. Those who slipped past on the flanks were left for the giants coming up behind him to deal with.

This way, the advancing speed drastically increased.

However, the armored warriors following him faced significantly greater pressure.

The Black-Armored Soldiers were well-trained, battle-hardened professionals. Among them were skilled fighters with rudimentary Battle Qi mastery. Their swords could threaten even the steel-clad giants; even if a blade didn’t pierce the armor, the fierce impact could still numb and paralyze. Soon, several giants sustained minor wounds. They knew retreat was impossible. Not focusing on killing but desperately clinging to King Alexander’s path, they gritted their teeth and endured, regardless of the injuries.

Sun Fei noticed the situation.

He focused slightly. Violent power surged explosively from his body! His immense super Great Axe became a vortex of silver blades. Where it passed, no one could stand. Clang-clang-crunch-crack! Under the sounds of rending metal and snapping bone, any Black-Armored Soldiers crowding near him burst apart into crimson mist. Seizing the momentary gap created, he shifted his power mode.

“Barbarian Mode” disappeared.

“Paladin Mode” activated instantly!

A noble, sacred aura emanated from Sun Fei, enveloping the armored giants pressing close behind him. Sun Fei stamped his foot. A dazzling golden ring of light pulsed outward (Glow!) from his body. Where the ring of light swept over them, every giant felt their injuries healing rapidly! Their depleted stamina began miraculously replenishing! Even their confidence and courage surged explosively!

The Paladin skill “Prayer” was activated.

“Long Live the King—!” roared the white-haired giant Pierce, feeling his blood ignite. He smashed his colossal warhammer out like an arm of the God of War! Clang-clang-clatter! The sound of breaking metal rang out thick and fast like firecrackers. Four or five Black-Armored Soldiers screamed like stuck pigs as the impact lifted them clear off their feet, hurling them off the bridge to splash into the water below…

“Long Live His Majesty Alexander—!” yelled Didier Drogba, the braided wildman. Frantically, he trapped an enemy’s thrusting sword blade under his left arm. His right arm swung back and brought his axe whistling down! CHOP! The swordsman’s head flew skyward…

“LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!” The twenty-plus giants bellowed in unison. They transformed into rampaging tigers charging into the enemy ranks! Their fighting power exploded! Even the cowardly Prison Warden Oleg, trembling at the very back, seemed infected by the passion. He finally fought at his One-Star Warrior level, his great blade cleaving three Black-Armored Soldiers down.

“Damn it! That guy’s a Knight!”

“W-whoa! It’s an Aura! It’s the Battle Aura Ring… Heavens! It’s the ‘Life Song’ Ring…!”

“Retreat! Retreat fast! Get the masters! Deal with this Knight… Damnation! They have a high-level Knight commanding the ‘Life Song’ ring! No number of us can stop them!”

Panicked shrieks erupted among the Black-Armored Soldiers the instant the golden ring of light pulsed beneath Sun Fei’s feet.